I spent 9:30 PM to at least 1:30 AM Monday through Thursday in an auditorium, watching actors rehearse. They would say their lines and I would laugh. Sometimes my director or other crew members would laugh. It was usually just me, though. Me and my loud, ever-changing laugh that sounded so much louder as it resounded in a near-empty auditorium. I’d stifle my laugh as time passed, ever conscious of the sounds I made.

Tonight, the show opened. The room filled and the audience formed. The play began, I took my seat in the back, and my laughter found itself mingling with the laughter of others. I still noticed the way I was laughing, but I noticed the way others were laughing, too. I noticed the different sounds they made as we all expressed ourselves without words. The sounds of the audience expressed a shared experience, common joy. I smiled as I found myself part of a whole.